Sammanfattning
Pressure injuries burden patients and healthcare organisations, with some preventative
practices having little impact on prevalence reduction. Patient participation in care may be an
effective pressure injury prevention strategy, yet patient preferences are unknown. The aim of this
interpretive study was to describe patients' perceptions of their current and future role in pressure
injury prevention. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 adult inpatients recruited from
four medical units, at two Australian metropolitan hospitals. Interview data were analysed using
content analysis, with three categories emerging: ‘experiencing pressure injuries’; ‘participating in
pressure injury prevention’; and ‘resourcing pressure injury prevention and treatment’. These
categories reflect the complex nature of participants’ pressure injury experience. The findings
suggest participants gather pressure injury knowledge from first-hand and vicarious experience;
knowledge they bring to hospital. Most participants preferred a proactive pressure injury prevention
role. Many identified barriers in the healthcare environment that impeded their participation and
affected their experience of pressure injuries and pressure injury prevention. If patient participation
as a pressure injury prevention strategy is to be considered, nurses and organisations need to view
patients as partners. Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons.